Dragons and Heroes
by Neverwhere Chaos Mode
Summary: Gohan crosses paths with a creature of legend in school.
1. A History of Things to Come

I don't own Dragon Ball Z or Breath of Fire.   
I'm posting this to see if anyone's interested in getting more. It's been rolling around in the back of my head for a while. The main story focuses more on Ryu and Gohan in High School than on Seventeen, but it was a good way to introduce the story.  
  
Prologue - History of Things to Come  
  
I walked down the road, not really paying attention to where I was going. I looked down at my feet, just wandering. Self-pity wasn't in my nature usually, but for now I was feeling pretty damn sorry for myself. My sister was off and gone with some human guy, and I had nothing to do. My purpose in life was gone, and so was the only family I'd ever had.  
  
_Not that I can blame her._  
  
Eighteen was… special, hell, any guy with a sister will tell you that, but we were the only two of our kind. It had been one year since those fools my sister hung out with brought me back.  
  
_No, I suppose I'm the foolish one. There has to be something to them if Eighteen married one._  
  
I had thought it was a joke at first when she told me, but she had actually agreed to marry one of them, some Krillan guy, the bald one. I'd been at the wedding last month, as a gesture, but now I was back on the road.  
  
_And I have nothing to do._  
  
Then, somewhere off in the distance, I heard screams. Without thinking, I flew up and tracked them to their source. When Eighteen had told me she was getting married, I had asked her what she saw in the guy, he was short and bald after all, and he had no nose. Not much of a catch, even I could tell that much. She had shrugged and said that when she had first seen him, something had clicked inside her. She had tried to fight it, but in the end she couldn't. I had told her I believed it was a bunch of hogwash. Well, something like that. I wasn't that polite about it. Now, though, I wasn't sure.  
  
The screams were coming from some dying thugs. Said thugs had set upon two travelers, and they were cornering a woman and a boy. The boy was fighting off the thugs with his fists, and was doing moderately well. I could tell he'd had formal training somewhere, though he was nowhere up the level of the Sayains, or even the human my sister had married as he appeared to not consciously use ki, but it was certainly enhancing his performance. The woman was casting lightning spells like there was no tomorrow. Which for her, there very well might not be. I didn't like magic, and I knew the Z warriors held little favor for it, preferring ki, the power of the body, to mana, power of the mind, any day, but I had to admit the woman was pretty good.  
  
They were doing okay until the boy went down, and the grinning fools began to close on her, obviously looking for a little fun. For a brief instant, she looked up. Our eyes met, and for a second, time stopped.  
  
When I saw her eyes, it was just like Eighteen said. Something clicked. Before I knew what was happening I was among the men, hitting them and launching ki blasts everywhere. It didn't take more than a few seconds to accomplish the task, and I turned to the woman, who was tending to the boy, and took a good look at her.  
  
She was tall, that much was certain. She had high, delicate cheekbones, and her hair was a dark blue color flowing down her back, complementing her sea-green eyes. She wore a white gown, now stained, with golden trim. She whispered a few words, and a white-green glow surrounded the boy's body. When it exited, his wounds were missing, and he slowly opened his eyes.  
  
"Sara? You okay?"  
  
_So that's her name._  
  
She smiled, and I felt my face glow with a blush.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks to our kind stranger here…"  
  
She looked up at me, obviously expecting a name. I had trouble remembering it at the sound of her voice.  
  
"Seventeen. That's my name."  
  
She looked at me for a second, probably wondering about said name, and smiled.  
  
"Thank you…"  
  
The boy got to his feet and examined me as well. His features greatly resembled Sara's but his hair was a light, almost sky blue, and his eyes a pale green.  
  
"This is my little brother, Ryu."  
  
The boy continued to examine me, distrust in his eyes. Sara hit him in the back of the head.  
  
"Say thanks, Ryu!"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
The words were said flatly, his opinion of me evident. Sara sighed.  
  
"You could show a little more gratitude, you know."  
  
He looked at her and smiled a little.  
  
"You're right."  
  
The boy looked back at me and smiled though I could tell it was a little faked.  
  
"I apologize. I'm not in the best of moods presently. Thank you for your assistance."  
  
Sara smiled again, and I had to regulate my heart flow for a second.  
  
"Would like to come back to our house with us and get something to eat? It's the least we can do."  
  
I smiled my first real smile in a long time.  
  
"I would love to."  
  
I could tell her little brother was not to happy with his sister's decision to bring me back, but it was of little concern to me at the moment. The woman was intoxicating. We walked the short distance to her house, and entered. Before too much could happen though, she sent Ryu out for firewood.  
  
"Bring back enough for a few days Ryu."  
  
"I know Sara."  
  
She smiled at me.  
  
"Don't worry about him. He just had trouble warming up to people, ever since our parents died a few years ago he's been like that."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I really should go…"  
  
She looked at me with a look of mock anger on her face.  
  
"No, no don't worry about it. Sit, make yourself at home. I insist."  
  
"If you're sure…"  
  
She smiled at me warmly.  
  
"Of course I am. Wait here, I have to go get some things ready."  
  
She got up and left to the kitchen, and I examined my surroundings. The wooden house was well built, and seemed to contain a warm feeling to it that I couldn't identify. The door opened and Ryu entered, going over the chair opposite of me, and sitting down. He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, and it looked like he was staring into the depths of my soul.  
  
"If you hurt her, I'll kill you."  
  
While I was confident that I could easily defeat the boy, the way he said the words so calmly made me shiver.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~One Year Later~  
  
"…I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
  
I leaned down and softly kissed Sara, only three seconds my wife and smiled. With that, I officially gained a last name, Drake. It had been a simple ceremony, with only her brother and my sister in attendance as witnesses.  
  
Weeks later, I gazed at Sara beside me, taking in her form as she flew beside me in her dragonic form. A soft white, like her usual gown, with blue undersides. Her clan's ability to change shape into these creatures amazed me, and I knew that they were really a gentle people. I had done some research on the subject when I first found out, and discovered that they were the Brood, people of myth and legend, who, it was said, tried to destroy the world. Sara had explained that while the most powerful of their people probably could, they would never even consider such an act. So when humans came after them, they fled, or died, instead of fighting back, afraid of the consequences, the possibility that they _might_.  
  
_Humans. Always lashing out at what they don't understand._  
  
We landed outside our home, her form glowing and changing back into that of a human woman, and discovered the now twelve-year-old Ryu asleep on the couch. Sara smiled and kissed his forehead, before motioning for me to follow to our bedroom. She closed the door behind her and come up behind me, wrapping her arms round me. Then she dropped a bombshell.  
  
"I'm pregnant."  
  
For a moment, the silence was as well. If my enhancements didn't keep me from doing so, I'm sure that I would have fainted away. I turned in the circle of her arms and looked into her eyes.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"I'm a little afraid, but mostly of what Ryu will think."  
  
"Your brother will be fine, he's a strong boy."  
  
She smiled.  
  
"Yes, he is."  
  
I kissed her then, and wrapped an arm around the small of her back, ushering her towards the bed.  
  
"Let's get some sleep. We'll think about what to tell him in the morning."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~Four Years later~  
  
I watched my opponent with sharp eyes, making sure to cover my defenses. Above me in power, but below me in skill, the younger man swooped underneath me and attacked upwards with a powerful ki blast. I barely dodged in time, and sent one back at him with incredible speed. The explosion caught him in the chin and the young warrior down into a crater in the dust. I smirked a little as I saw the Ryu shaped hole in the crater. I'd been training Ryu to use ki, and he was coming along.  
  
_He's good, but not that good._  
  
Then I frowned as I heard a rumble from beneath me. I looked down to see the crater explode outward. I detected a massive power surge, and the next thing I knew, I was in an incredible amount of pain as I was knocked skywards. I gained control and looked down. There was Ryu's energy, but his form…  
  
_Great, he ascended…_  
  
I looked down to see something I didn't expect. Most dragons were built like other animals. Quadrupeds. This was something new. Lithe, skinny, and probably amazingly agile, this particular shape was a biped. It had iron gray scales from head to toe, and white hair hung down to the middle of his back.  
  
_Oh, boy…_  
  
I floated down slowly, trying to show relatively peaceful intentions. Sara had told me that the first 'ascension' was painful, and the warrior usually went berserk. Surprisingly, he let me come, watching me for a surprise attack. I spoke a little hesitantly.  
  
"That's certainly… impressive…"  
  
He grinned, a haunting thing on his face, his voice low and grumbling as he spoke.  
  
"This is a Force class dragon. Warrior breed, built for physical combat rather than magic. Useful, no?"  
  
I smirked.  
  
"When did this happen? You certainly haven't gone nuts on like Sara told me to expect."  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"A few weeks ago. Overworked myself training and a mountain collapsed on me."  
  
He grinned.  
  
"These are usually considered faily weak dragons, but I can still use my ki in this form, so I'd like to think it has potential. Want to test me?"  
  
From what I had been told, it was certainly possible. A brood was born in a whelp stage, and that constituted their dragon form until they 'ascended', and their dragon form matured. Not only did ascension happen randomly, the form was also random, reflecting the personality of the warrior using it, rather than it being hereditary.  
  
_With his ki training, this shape is certainly not inconceivable._  
  
I didn't get a chance to answer him as I heard a tiny roar behind me as something collided with me. What had collided with me was my own son, Teepo, in his purplish whelp stage. The Whelp class dragon had a chubby body, small limbs, and big, bright eyes on its two horned head. The just barely three-year-old boy obviously wanted attention, having learned to fly almost as soon as he could walk. We both laughed then, and landed. Ryu changed back, but Teepo didn't.  
  
"Change back, Teepo."  
  
"ROAR!"  
  
"Teepo…"  
  
My voice carried a slight edge to it, and the small dragon changed back into a young boy. Teepo had dark purple hair in a style that resembled mine, and clothes to match. He scowled.  
  
"Not fair."  
  
Ryu laughed, and focus his eyes on the youth.  
  
"You shouldn't be spending so much time in dragon shape anyways, Teepo. It could be dangerous until you're older."  
  
He turned said scowl on his uncle.  
  
"But, nunky Ryu, Is can fly!"  
  
He sighed.  
  
"But you can't defend yourself yet. Does your mom know you're out here?"  
  
He shook his head. I groaned. The last time he had gotten loose from Sara both Ryu and I had been kicked out of the house for a week. Ryu and I exchanged a look. Neither of us wanted to bring him back. I sighed motioned for him to follow. We started back for the house.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So you let my baby go out there while you were fighting!!! What the hell were you thinking?!"  
  
Ryu cringed under his older sister's admonition. I couldn't blame him. Just as great as she was when happy, she was scary when mad. This time though, she punctuated her thought with a lightning bolt.  
  
"OWW!"  
  
"GOOD! Maybe now you'll be more careful!"  
  
Neither of us bothered to point out that it had been her who had let Teepo out of her sight. It just wasn't worth it, and we both knew it. Several hours later, when she had calmed down, she looked at Ryu with a speculative gleam in her eye. That was not a good look. That was her I've-got-something-up-my-sleeve look. Ryu looked over and saw it. He gulped.  
  
"Yes, Sara?"  
  
She smiled… deceptively.  
  
"Ryu, how do you feel about school?"  
  
He eyed her suspiciously.  
  
"Waste of time. I know that stuff. Dragons are wise, remember?"  
  
She continued smiling. I chuckled inwardly. He wasn't really all that wise; he just had a nearly photographic memory. All dragons did. He remembered nearly everything you told him.  
  
"You're going anyways."  
  
His jaw dropped. I was just glad I wasn't on the receiving end. He looked at her stubbornly.  
  
"Not a chance!"  
  
Her light smile turned to a hard look.  
  
"Yes. You. Will."  
  
"Yes Sara."  
  
His defiance had crumbled immediately, and his voice was a soft squeak. She sighed.  
  
"I'm not doing this to torture you…"  
  
"Could have fooled me…"  
  
Sara continued unabated.  
  
"… but you need to broaden your horizons a little. There's a great school in Satan City. You start tomorrow."  
  
He gaped at her. She was his legal guardian and could force him, his only being sixteen and all, but I'm sure he felt that this was going a little far. I agreed, but we both knew better than to cross her on it.  
  
And with that, my brother in law, Ryu Drake, went to school. 


	2. First Day

  
Put your e-mail address in your review or on your author's notes page if you want you question answered. I'm feeling too lazy to develop a page like on my other fics.  
  
Chapter 1 - First Day   
Destiny.  
  
Destiny is a strange thing. Five years ago, back when I was eleven, it was a truly frightening thing when I thought about it. Not that I thought about it that much, but still.  
  
Both parents dieing before you're six because of a witch-hunt, where, ironically enough, the accusing villagers actually had a piece of it right.  
  
We _were_ the people they said we were. We were Brood. We could now that I look back upon it, destroy this planet and almost everything on it in a few short days. Hours probably.  
  
The problem with what they thought though was that they were so concerned with whether or not we could, that they never stopped to ask if we _would_.  
  
Which we wouldn't, we love this planet too much to even attempt it. Back then, my parents were my favorite people in the world. Then, later, it was just my sister and I, and we lived alone, out away from anything remotely resembling civilization. I felt that she was the only person I would ever need. Other people would hurt us. Other people were threats.  
  
And indeed they turned out to be.  
  
I still remembered the first day I laid eyes on my now brother in law, Seventeen. I didn't like him, but I knew my sister. She liked him. She like him a lot, so I didn't exactly attempt to force my ascension and rip him to pieces right there. But I certainly made it clear I wasn't fond of him. My sister though, was incredibly strong willed, and he ended up staying.  
  
He turned out okay. The ironic thing is that he's not technically human either. He's an android. Which makes my nephew, Teepo, somewhat of an odd ball. He's got something of a temper and a lust for adventure, which drives us all nuts. After five years of marriage though, my sister and her husband have never exactly had too much 'alone time'.  
  
Which is why I personally think I'm out here escorting my young nephew, both of us flying in dragon form, to Satan City, where we'll enter school. Well, Teepo will enter one of those 'Learning Centers' as he's a bit young, but still. She said it was for me to get out of the house and meet people, and I might have believed her if she wasn't so damn insistent it be _now_ instead of two or three years from now when I could easily get into a college, and Teepo into grade school. Besides, if this was for my benefit, why was he here in the first place? He's likely to spill the beans.  
  
After the way the humans screwed us over last we tried to enter their society, I'm not enthusiastic about this latest venture into the concrete jungle.  
  
_Which is presently coming in over the horizon. Time to change back._  
  
I shook myself out of my musing and motioned for Teepo to land. No one cares too much about lesser dragons, but the variety with real power scares a lot of people. Especially if they were to see us change forms. We landed, and began to walk.  
  
"Come on, Teepo, we're going to be a little late as it is."  
  
He nodded, and we set off, using the ki training that Seventeen had put us through to good advantage.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I planted my right fist into crook number one's face, and spun to kick crook number two. The idiots had decided to rob a movie theater.  
  
At nine-thirty in the morning.  
  
Not only is robbing a movie theater a stupid thing to do when there's both a bank and a police station down the street a few blocks, but at nine-thirty in the morning, they haven't even made any money yet.  
  
_At least we get to cut class…_  
  
'We' was me and my best friend from childhood, Nina Vogel. Nina was a Windian. She had large beautiful white wings that had blue feathers at the bottom edge.  
  
_I wish I had wings. I could fly without help then._  
  
Nina displayed her presence by laying down a sheet of ice in front of crook number three, causing him to slide into a recently stopped patrol car instead of running away. In a world where the opposing crook was just as likely to start shooting out flames as use a gun, having a partner who could use magic was useful. With the third and final member down, Nina landed gracefully beside me, giving me a grin. She wasn't very strong physically, but her grades in her magic classes were top notch. Windians were naturally gifted that way. I smiled at the approaching officer, and we handed the crooks over, before continuing to school. Nina grinned at me, the sunlight reflecting off of her blue eyes and short blond hair alike.  
  
"Another bunch of wackos down, thanks to us."  
  
I smiled back.  
  
"Yeah, and no Gold Fighter in sight."  
  
She laughed. She knew full well that I didn't like the Gold Fighter at all. He had showed up a few years ago, and preformed tricks like those people at the Cell Games used. Nina said with some authority that the power he was using was real, but not magic in any way. She didn't know how he did it either, but unlike me, shrugged it off as long as he wasn't hurting anyone. I, on the other hand, hated not knowing how he did those things.  
  
After Nina had said that it wasn't any kind of magic or special effects, like my father claimed, we were left with nothing but another thing to add to the list of things that I hated about my father.  
  
_Stupid idiot._  
  
We made it to school and returned to class, sitting down by the ever-perplexing Gohan Son, and the always-annoying Sharpner Pencil. He decided to leer at us for a bit before hitting on me.  
  
"So, babe, you want to do something this weekend?"  
  
He flipped his hair back as he spoke, reminding me of a preppy cheerleader, and I responded by mimicking my actions on criminal number one earlier. He turned to Nina and opened her mouth, but she silenced him by making a mystic sign for fire and opening her mouth to chant.  
  
Surprisingly, he got the hint before his butt was lit on fire. He shut up and sat down to spare himself any more humiliation. I glanced to my left at nerdy little Gohan. Well, he wasn't all that little. He was actually fairly tall, but his submissive attitude made you think of him as much smaller than he really was. He saw my glance and smiled at me, before returning to taking notes. That was the good thing about Gohan, always friendly.  
  
_Not like that Gold Fighter jerk. He has an attitude problem._  
  
Soon enough, the bell rang for lunch, and we piled on down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Gohan had his usual titanic portions of food, which I was still confused about.  
  
_How can he eat so much?_  
  
Lunchtime conversation was, well, lacking. It was most days. Gohan had been in school two years now, and his eating habits never ceased to amaze those of us who considered him our friend. Gohan rarely entered conversations when we had them; he couldn't talk very well when eating. But, time passed as it always does, and soon enough we were headed back to our classrooms, and I was wishing another punk would try to rob something so I could get our of class.  
  
But the times when Nina and I were called were a little rare during school hours for a few reasons. The police force wasn't _completely_ incompetent, and they could often handle things by themselves. They called this morning because they had everyone working on an investigation of a break in at the history museum, and beating thugs was more up our alley than finding them. The second was that my _illustrious_ father had told the police not to interfere too much with my schoolwork, causing the police to not become too dependent on us. We patrolled and stopped whatever crime we could after school though.  
  
Still, when we entered the classroom, there was a new sight there. A boy. He had pale blue hair and pale green eyes, framed by a rather serious face. Said hair was just as spiky as Gohan's, if in a different style, and he wore dark blue Gi pants and a sleeveless white shirt, with the talon of some beast hanging down, held to his neck by a leather thong. His lightly muscled arms were folded across his chest in a fashion that clearly stated that he did not want to be here.  
  
The boy looked at us indifferently as we walked in the room, and the presence of the teacher prohibited many of the more… brazen… girls from running over and attempting to drag him into dark corners. Then, Gohan walked in, and the two stared at each other, like they were trying to figure out who the other person was by staring holes in his head. The teacher cleared her throat, and they broke eye contact, Gohan heading up to his seat next to me. I arched an eyebrow at him.  
  
"What's up Gohan? You were staring at that guy like you knew him or something."  
  
He looked at me, confused as always.  
  
"O-oh. Um, he just seemed… familiar… that's it…"  
  
I sighed. He was lying again. I could always tell when Gohan was lying, because, well, he was crappy at it. On the other hand, he was always strangely stubborn when he lied and I knew that I wouldn't get anything more out of him. The teacher spoke up.  
  
"Class, this is Ryu Drake, and he'll be joining our class for the rest of the year. Be a little patient, he's new. Mr. Son, would you stand please? This is Ryu's first time out of home school, and as you have experienced the same yourself, I was hoping you could help him adjust."  
  
Gohan stood as requested. Ryu's eyes widened a little, and he smacked his forehead. Gohan smiled and spoke.  
  
"Certainly Ma'am, it would be my pleasure."  
  
It took a trained eye like mine to see that he was a little worried about this 'assignment' from the teacher. I glanced at Nina. She nodded, she had seen it too.  
  
_What's up with him?_  
  
Gohan hadn't acted this suspicious since his first few weeks at school, on his freshman year. Now the thought of showing the new kid around was making him sweat. I never did figure out much about Gohan but…  
  
_…Maybe now's a good time to try…_  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I was screaming inwardly as I was asked to teach the new guy about the rigors of high school. I accepted because it certainly would have helped _me_ to have a guide who knew what I was going through when I first started, but this guy had a ki higher mine. In my normal form anyways. He might even be able to keep up with me as a super sayian. But he certainly couldn't keep up with me at level two, that much I knew.  
  
_Why haven't we sensed this guy before?_  
  
The bell rang, and I plastered a smile on my lips as we walked out. I motioned for him to follow me and we went to the roof, where we could speak more openly. When we got there, I turned to face him.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
He smiled.  
  
"I could ask the same thing. But, I'll humor you. Nothing was lied about in class. My name _is_ Ryu Drake."  
  
I blinked.  
  
"Here's a better question. Who trained you?"  
  
His eyes narrowed.  
  
"My brother in law."  
  
I sighed.  
  
"Who is…?"  
  
"None of your business. Maybe if he says I can trust you…"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Well, we should get inside. We don't want to be late."  
  
We walked down and went to class. It was a long day.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I ground my teeth in frustration as we walked back in the building. This was not the way today was supposed to go. I was not supposed to be sitting in class with a bunch of humans, listening to a teacher drone on about concepts I had already mastered. I was not supposed to be guided around this school by some guy who could give me a decent fight.  
  
_I wouldn't even have to ascended, he's weaker than Seventeen…_  
  
With that, I smirked, and I calmed down a bit. Even if I never ascended, he wouldn't stand a chance. Class was boring, and the only thing that kept me from hitting my head against the desk is that fact that I would shatter it like a pane of glass. Then, there was a beeping a couple seats to my right, and after a short conversation with someone she called 'Chief', Videl and Nina stood, quietly making their way out of class.  
  
I arched an eyebrow at Gohan, and he mouthed something to the effect of 'I'll explain later', and my eyes widened a bit as I felt his ki spike.   
  
Two miles down the road.  
  
I looked over at him, confused, and he mouthed 'later' again.  
  
_Just what the hell is going on here?_  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
School was long and hard. The material wasn't hard, but fighting the urge to sleep certainly was. Ryu walked next to me, obviously wanting to talk. We headed for the roof, it was a bit safer there.  
  
"Okay, spill. What's the deal here?"  
  
"Videl and Nina fight crime for the police in the city when the cops are to swamped or to out classed to handle it themselves, so I, as the 'Gold Fighter', help them out a bit."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"And the double of your ki?"  
  
I shrugged.  
  
"It's a technique called 'split form'. You divide into two bodies, but each only has half the power of the original."  
  
His eyes widened a bit, obviously contemplating the fact that I was supposed to be twice as strong as I actually was at the moment. I smiled a little.  
  
"Useful for the teenage super hero whose mom made him enroll in school."  
  
He laughed for a moment.  
  
"You too? My sister made me come. Don't even know why, though I have my suspicions."  
  
I laughed to.  
  
_Maybe this guy isn't so bad._  
  
I grinned at him as my other form, dressed in one of my father's gis landed.  
  
"Excuse us a moment."  
  
He nodded and we walked out of sight. My second form quick changed into his version of my school clothes and we reformed. I had found out the hard way that reforming while wearing different clothing tends to screw it up.  
  
_Mom was not happy that day._  
  
Then I changed back into the gi and powered up, walking back out.  
  
"Well I'm off to do some more patrolling. See you tomorrow Ryu. Hope you can trust me."  
  
He nodded slowly, looking out over the horizon. I stopped and looked back at him.  
  
"You want to come with?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"No, not really my cup of tea, if you know what I mean. I need to get my nephew out of that day care center before he burns it down anyways."  
  
I laughed.  
  
"He wouldn't really, would he?"  
  
Ryu grumbled a bit as he headed back for the stairs.  
  
"Knowing my luck, yes."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Satan City Day Care Center.  
  
That was what the sign read. It would have been more accurately labeled Satan City Zoo. On my approach my mind caught a high ki belonging to Teepo, and my ears caught the voices of screaming children.  
  
_Teepo, you're in huge trouble._  
  
It could have been the other kids causing the trouble, but I'd put the limited money I had on Teepo being the cause. I walked into utter chaos. One of the ladies I recognized from this morning came over to me.  
  
"Get. Him. Out."  
  
I blanched. Sara would not be pleased. Not pleased at all.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
She frowned.  
  
"In back."  
  
I sighed and waded through the screaming toddlers going towards Teepo. He was sitting innocently enough. If you discounted the fact that everything within three feet of him was in splinters and there was a kid below him in pain. I groaned.  
  
"Teepo, what happened?"  
  
He looked up at me, a dejected look on his face.  
  
"He tried to hurt me nunky Ryu!"  
  
I sighed again.  
  
_I can't really fault him for defending himself._  
  
"Well, you won't be coming back here again, kid. We'll have to find somewhere else for you."  
  
He nodded and stood up, sniffing a bit. I took his hand gently, and we exited. I looked down at him once we were on the street.  
  
"You didn't change did you?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"Mom told me not to."  
  
_Well, it could have been worse…_


	3. Early Morning Rendezvous

Want an answer? Leave me your e-mail. Goku's still alive mostly because I say so. I'm sure we've all read some good excuses so I won't bother to repeat them.  
  
Chapter 2 - Early Morning Rendezvous   
_Why?_  
  
That was the question on my mind as I flew away from Videl and Nina after helping out with a traffic accident. There were quite a few deaths today that could have been prevented if I had only known sooner.  
  
_If only they had been able to get a hold of me…_  
  
I sighed.  
  
_Why do I feel this compulsion to hide who I am?_  
  
I know why I hid from the general public. That was easy, I didn't want to be plagued with reporters day and night. My real question was why I hid from them. Videl and Nina more than anyone deserved to know.  
  
_Especially Videl…_  
  
Videl could use my help. Ki training could help her immensely.  
  
_So why do I feel that I have to keep it from her?_  
  
There were other reasons of course, the whole alien thing and all. But I didn't have to tell her that, I just had to tell her that I was the Gold Fighter, and that I could help her be better than she was.  
  
I sighed as I cruised between two buildings, as going above them made it too easy for Videl to find me and follow me.  
  
I thought back to earlier with Ryu. He hadn't told me much about himself, because he didn't know if he could trust me or not.  
  
_Could it be like that with Videl?_  
  
I shook my head. No, I trusted Videl to handle things on her own all the time. Of course that wasn't the same as trusting her with something like this, but the point still stood, I knew I could trust her not to go blabbing all over the place. I frowned then.  
  
_When did this turn to 'her' instead of 'them'?_  
  
I sighed as I thought about it. The more I thought about it, the scarier my line of thought became.  
  
I, Gohan Son, liked Videl Satan.  
  
_Which is exactly why I can't tell her. She doesn't like the Gold Fighter in the least._  
  
So therefore the question became, if I told her, would she like the Gold Fighter?  
  
Or would she hate Gohan Son?  
  
I shot straight up past the clouds, higher than her helicopter could fly. Some people suggested that I lived up here, and that being born and raised in the clouds was the secret behind my flight, but the truth was that it was just another security measure for fear that Videl tried to follow me home.  
  
My new self-realizations impressing themselves on my mind, I flew home more slowly than usual.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I closed the door to the house and stood outside, catching my breath.  
  
_That was not pleasant._  
  
Sara had not been happy with Teepo, and for some reason I had been dragged into it.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
I jumped at Seventeen's voice. His not having ki was a little weird and he was one of the few people who could move quietly enough to sneak up on me. I turned around a little sheepishly.  
  
"Teepo got kicked out of the Day Care Center…"  
  
He visibly winced at that.  
  
"That's not good."  
  
I laughed.  
  
"Understatement of the century."  
  
Then I remembered.  
  
"Hey, have you ever heard of a Gohan Son?"  
  
He froze and turned around slowly. His face was a little pale.  
  
"Where'd you hear that name?"  
  
I frowned and crossed my arms. Seventeen tended to avoid conversations that disturbed him.  
  
_He's not getting out of this one…_  
  
"School. He's a classmate, and could probably give us a run for our money."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"I told you and Sara that my sister and I were originally built to assassinate someone right?"  
  
I nodded, not really seeing where this was going.  
  
"His father, Goku, was our target."  
  
I arched and eyebrow.  
  
"So mentioning your name might not be the best of ideas then?"  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
His eyes grew distant for a moment as he thought back before he continued.  
  
"Not only did we _fail_ to kill the guy, they forgave us. Eighteen's married to one of Goku's best friends now."  
  
"And why didn't _I_ hear about this earlier?"  
  
We both jumped this time, and spun to find Sara behind us, hands on her hips.  
  
"Because it never occurred to me that it was relevant?"  
  
His tone of voice was obviously asking if this was an okay excuse. Sara's replying tone told us that it wasn't.  
  
"So you're telling me that I could have had friends to talk to?!"  
  
He gulped, and I was slowly edging out of her line of sight.  
  
"I thought you were happy when it was just the two of us."  
  
She sighed, and then smiled a bit.  
  
"I am happy. But there are just some things that are easier to discuss with friends rather than your husband."  
  
Then she swiveled around to look at me.  
  
"You say you know this boy at school Ryu?"  
  
_Just how long has she been listening?_  
  
"Yes…"  
  
"Get yourself invited over. I want to speak with his mother. Maybe go shopping."  
  
Then she walked back in the house, closing the door behind her.  
  
_That was… odd…_  
  
I looked at Seventeen, who just shrugged.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I arrived home to about the usual scene.  
  
That meant that there was frequent screaming and yelling, followed by a few clanging noises, after which three figures stumbled out the door. I shook my head sadly.  
  
_Probably fighting in the house again…_  
  
As I got closer, I realized that that couldn't possibly be the case. It wasn't like father to fight in a suit.  
  
_Wait, back up… dad in a suit?!_  
  
I looked down again, and sure enough, there was the infamous Goku Son, all dressed up. Next to him was Goten, also dressed up, and next to him was Trunks Briefs, laughing his butt off while nursing a couple of bumps on his head. They all were.  
  
Goten's head shot up.  
  
"Big brother!!!"  
  
I swerved instantly to avoid Goten's assault, but Trunks managed to catch me off guard, head butting me in the stomach. Dad just looked up grinning and waving.  
  
"Hey Gohan!"  
  
There was a sudden ceasing to Mom's ranting in the family kitchen.  
  
_Uh oh…_  
  
I fought an urge to flee as she came barreling out of the house. Thankfully, she saw Goten first.  
  
"GOTEN SON!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU YOUNG MAN! NO FIGHTING IN YOUR GOOD CLOTHES! ESPECIALLY THE NEW ONES!!"  
  
Then, she redirected herself on me, dropping the angry tone for a moment.  
  
"Come in dear. You have some clothes to try on as well. You're not going to argue are you…?"  
  
She gave me a hard look at the last. I tugged nervously on the neck of my Gi, and lowered slowly to the ground, her eyes following all the way.  
  
"No Ma'am."  
  
She smiled.  
  
"Good. Inside. Now."  
  
I hurried in after, pausing only to singe the still laughing Trunks with a small ki blast to shut him up. Didn't work as well as I had hoped.  
  
I went into my room where mom had a suit lain out already. Mom looked at me.  
  
"Change into that, and no funny business like your father and brother."  
  
She left to give me some privacy, and I began to change. I was just buttoning the cuffs before it occurred to me.  
  
_Why are we trying on clothes like this?_  
  
I exited the room and voiced my question to mom who was busy at the stove, the other three hovering around her already.  
  
"Because we're going to Capsule Corporation this weekend, and I want us looking nice for once, not like a bunch of rag-a-muffins."  
  
Dad frowned.  
  
"But how can I spar with Vegeta in these things?"  
  
Mom just gave him 'the look'. You don't argue with 'the look'. Only Vegeta had ever had the guts to try, and none of us wanted his fate. Dad just wandered back to the table and sat down, a frightened look on his face. Trunks started laughing again. Mom sighed.  
  
"I'm not doing this to punish you Goku. Vegeta will be under similar restrictions…"  
  
She then focused her gaze on Trunks and Goten.  
  
"…as will Goten and Trunks…"  
  
Trunks stopped laughing. I don't think he found it quite as funny anymore.  
  
"…because it's not going to be just our friends this time. Otherwise I wouldn't waste my effort with all this."  
  
I nodded as dad started to relax a little.  
  
"Who else will be there?"  
  
Mom shrugged.  
  
"Bulma just said that some prominent figures in the community would be there."  
  
"And _him_?"  
  
Mom knew who I was referring to. We all did.  
  
"_He_ wasn't invited, mostly for his own safety…"  
  
I nodded. Vegeta would likely rip Hercule Satan into little shreds.  
  
"…but she said that she wouldn't be surprised if he just showed up anyways."  
  
I rolled my eyes.  
  
_Great…_  
  
"Well, does this look alright mom?"  
  
She finally turned fully from the stove and looked at me, dropping the spoon she was stirring with. She squealed and clasped her hands as Goten and Trunks fought over who would lick the spoon.  
  
"You look wonderful!! My baby's so handsome!"  
  
"So I can go change out of this then? Before _something_ happens to it."  
  
I nodded at the struggling Trunks and Goten. Mom nodded, then realized what the two were doing. As I left to change back into a Gi to spar with father, I heard some more clangs as mom went for her usual method of household enforcement.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was confused.  
  
Dazed and confused.  
  
Sara's mind seemed to change direction so fast it often left me reeling to catch up. A few days ago she wanted nothing more than to be left alone, at least that's how it seemed to me, with Seventeen, and now she wanted to branch out and make friends starting with whoever I could meet through Gohan.  
  
_This will not go well…_  
  
Not having Teepo with me, I felt comfortable enough to attempt to fly all the way to school instead of stopping outside and running in. I was not however, stupid enough to fly over people's heads in dragon form. That would generate too many questions. Hopefully if anyone saw me at that height they would think I was Gohan.  
  
Out of the corner of my eye I caught a flash of yellow. Coming to a halt and flipping around I saw that it was a bright yellow jet-copter, with the word 'SATAN' printed on the side. It was headed in my direction.  
  
Fast.  
  
_Crap…_  
  
I poured on the speed, easily out running it, but I had to continue past the school.  
  
It followed.  
  
_Son of a…_  
  
Another flash of gold to my left revealed Gohan flying by, more than likely laughing his ass off. I jetted in his direction, hopefully to throw off pursuit. I hovered next to him for a moment.  
  
"Keep her busy for me?"  
  
Gohan laughed.  
  
"Sure. But if she's already seen your face enough to recognize you it's your own fault."  
  
"Keep laughing pretty boy."  
  
I flew off, hopefully to go in a loop that would lead me back to school. The copter flew off after Gohan, but with one catch. Someone exited and was headed in my direction.  
  
_Not my day…_  
  
I _still_ couldn't land at the school, and I was running out of tricks to keep Nina far enough back to not be able to recognize me later. I was going as fast as I dared in the city, what with the effects of sonic booms on glass and stuff.  
  
She was getting closer all the time now. I might have been faster, but she knew all the short cuts. I could feel her ki paralleling mine back behind me about two hundred feet or so. I couldn't turn; every time I did she cut a diagonal and got closer. I swore in my mind as she cast something and started going a bit faster closing the distance.  
  
I banked suddenly, going through a narrow alleyway, then shot straight up, and looked back.  
  
_Terrific._  
  
I now had two options, discovery or…  
  
_Sara would kill me…  
  
Not if she doesn't know…  
  
It'd be broadcast all over the news…  
  
Only if someone believes her…  
  
Crap. No more time…_  
  
I pulled together my power and heard something like a cross between a roar and a scream in my head as my skin gave off a white glow. My senses shifted and enhanced as my body became that of a dragon. Now I didn't run. Either she had recognized me and I was now screwed, or I was completely in the clear. I looked down.  
  
She was stopped, mouth agape.  
  
She obviously knew what I was.  
  
_Interesting…_  
  
It's hard to describe the feeling that comes with being in dragon form. A sort of focused calm comes over you, the knowledge that you can do anything, yet no urge to explore what your true limits are. It's a feeling that says you can do more than this, but if just enough gets by, why bother?  
  
Not quite laziness, though that has been used to describe elder dragons on occasion, just contentment.  
  
So I waited, floating, flapping my wings instead of using my ki, knowing that I could demolish her, demoralize her, terrorize her, or simply ignore her and there wouldn't be much she could do about it.  
  
But she too, was waiting. I frowned then, giving a light sniff to the air. There was a peculiar scent in the air.  
  
_Fear.  
  
Well, she definitely knows what I am. Terrific._  
  
Then, her wings stopped beating, and she collapsed in mid air.  
  
_NO!_  
  
I'm not sure what it was, but something inside me wouldn't let her fall. I'm sure it's not my sense of decency. That probably helped, but the majority of what I felt was something deeper, primal, more instinctive.  
  
Some small voice deep inside screaming at me to catch her in words I couldn't ignore.  
  
Collapsing my wings to my back for less wind resistance and pushing myself down with my ki, I shot down like a bow from an arrow.  
  
I almost wasn't fast enough.  
  
Almost.  
  
We were five feet about the ground when I was able to pull up without harming her.  
  
I placed her gently on the roof, and the voice within quieted. I flew off slowly then, checking often for pursuit. Landing gently on the roof, I looked around once more, seeing nothing, feeling nothing, I changed back into my human form, and walked down the stairs. At the bottom I checked my watch.  
  
_It's half-way through first period._  
  
I sighed and looked around, then ducked into a nearby empty classroom as I felt, then watched Nina and Videl go by. I looked back at my watch.  
  
_Screw it; I'll just wait for second._


	4. The Kindness of Strangers

If you want an answer to a question, leave me an e-mail address.  
  
Chapter 3 - The Kindness of Strangers  
  
I glanced around the room idly looking for Ryu. After seeing him on the run from Videl this morning, I was a little more concerned than usual. Videl was smart enough that she might be able to piece enough things together to expose me if Ryu was suddenly exposed.  
  
I relaxed a little as I felt his Ki settle on the roof and collapse downwards, almost like feeling someone fall out of Super.  
  
_Odd…_  
  
I felt Ryu's ki go into an empty classroom, and wait for a bit. Videl and Nina walked in then, Nina visibly shaken, and Videl worried. They spoke in voices too low for anyone else to hear, but my enhanced senses easily picked it up.  
  
"That's absurd Nina. There's no such thing…"  
  
Nina's eyes narrowed. Her voice came out as a hiss.  
  
"I _know_ what I saw Videl. That guy just glowed, then he changed into one of _them_ right in front of me. This is big."  
  
The word _them_ was said with a surprising amount of venom. Videl sighed.  
  
"Well, assuming you're right, did you get a good look at the guy?"  
  
_This is the big one…_  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"No, not really. He always managed to stay just ahead of me. He changed after I cast haste and started catching up to him just to keep me from recognizing him. But did recognize one thing though…"  
  
Videl perked up.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"He was using his wings to fly after he changed, but before that he was using the same power as the Gold Fighter. I still don't know what it is, but I know it was the same thing."  
  
Videl grumbled, muttering some unflattering comments about my somewhat offensive alter ego.  
  
_Just what _is_ Ryu, anyways?_  
  
I went over what I knew.  
  
1. Ryu's had ki training.  
  
2. … … …  
  
_There is no '2'.  
  
Great. Just great._  
  
I sighed as the teacher began the lesson.  
  
_Maybe he'll tell me more today._  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I walked into class quickly before the bell for second hour rang.  
  
_The last thing I need is for Sara to find out I missed school…_  
  
Walking in, I eyed Videl and Nina, looking for any hint of recognition. There was none, just Videl's customary scowl, and Nina's slightly wan smile. I felt okay, like I was pretty much in the clear. My eyes slid over to Gohan as I ascended the stairs. There was a questioning look in his eyes that could have meant anything. My gut was telling me that he knew something. How much I was unable to tell, but with that feeling…  
  
I sighed and sat down, giving Gohan a cursory nod, then, keeping my arm low, pointed to the roof. He nodded, getting the message. We'd talk there, during lunch or after school, which ever was easiest.  
  
Classes droned on, and I watched with some fascination at Gohan's eating habits during lunch. Seventeen had given me a basic rundown on Saiyan habits and abilities, but it was still staggering to see him consume that much food. There was no opportunity to slip away to the roof, but after school was still a viable option. I smirked silently to myself as I felt Gohan's ki dealing with something, who really knows what, down the road a few blocks.  
  
Gohan and I lingered a bit in the classroom after school, until we felt Videl and Nina's kis move away from the roof, then we started up. The silence was a little awkward as we ascended. The rooftop was a little windy, and we stayed pretty much silent until Gohan had rejoined with his 'other half'. He started.  
  
"Soooo… are you able to…"  
  
"Trust you? Yeah. He said it should be okay. I was trained by a man named Seventeen."  
  
I looked straight into Gohan's eyes as I said it. I saw surprise and confusion, but no real fear. That was good.  
  
"Wow… Never would have thought of _him_."  
  
Then he blinked before continuing.  
  
"And he married? When did that happen? And a kid?!"  
  
I chuckled a little.  
  
"Yes, it happened. About five years ago."  
  
Gohan smiled a little as well, then it deepened into slight frown.  
  
"I'll understand if you don't want to answer this, but what are you? Nina was really panicked this morning when she and Videl came in. She mentioned that you… changed somehow."  
  
I sighed. And thought for a moment, looking at him. In the end, I decided to extend a little trust. From everything I understood, he would be one of the only people on the planet to actually understand.  
  
"I am Brood."  
  
His eyes widened a bit.  
  
"Wow… I thought that was just an old legend… People who could turn into dragons… The power to destroy the planet… How much of it is true?"  
  
I laughed bitterly.  
  
"Ironically, it's probably the only witch-hunt in history that has it's facts straight. When Sara and I lost our parents…"  
  
I sighed. Gohan put a hand on my shoulder.  
  
"It's tough isn't it? I've lost my father twice now, and it doesn't get any easier…"  
  
His turn to sigh. But then he straightened, and walked to the edge of the roof. He turned back.  
  
"You sure you don't want to come?"  
  
I shook my head.  
  
"No, not really. Not after what happened to my parents."  
  
He smiled a little.  
  
"Not all humans are like that Ryu."  
  
"I know Gohan, but even if it weren't that, I do know that people don't like Brood as it is. It wouldn't be good to confirm our existence."  
  
He nodded a little.  
  
"Well, see you tomorrow then."  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
I turned towards the stairs and descended, moving down and out the front doors of the school with ease, determined to walk outside the city rather than risk exposure again. Walking became an automatic function as my mind wandered over the events of my life.  
  
The loss of my parents was one of the first things that came to mind, and I wondered what they would think of my and Sara's lives now.  
  
_Would they approve?_  
  
My thoughts were about to move to the next unfolding events of my history when I heard something in the alley next to me. I paused and looked in. Three men were cornering a girl. I almost turned to move on. It wasn't my business after all.  
  
Almost.  
  
I stopped when my mind suddenly flashed forward to the day we first met Seventeen. Without the kindness of a stranger we would have been killed.  
  
I dropped my backpack behind the wall.  
  
I closed my eyes. If someone saw me, they would see only a dragon.  
  
A roar sounded in my head, and my body gave off a vibrant white light, attracting the attention of the men and the girl. The light faded, and I snapped open my eyes. I could smell the fear in the air as the men backed away slowly. Using my wings instead of ki for a more intimidating and dramatic effect, I hovered about a half a foot off the ground, arms crossed over my chest.  
  
"Let the girl go."  
  
I moved forward slowly into the alley. One of the men pulled a gun. I smirked.  
  
"Let the girl go _please_."  
  
My tone left no doubt that violence would follow if he choose to continue. He decided to make the worst choice possible.  
  
He fired a shot at me. The smell of fear increased as the bullet impacted and fell to the ground, useless. He and his buddies began backing away slowly, keeping the girl with them, a dark patch forming on the leader's jeans. I snarled in disgust.  
  
"Final warning. Let the girl go _now_."  
  
He put the gun to her head.  
  
"D-Don't come any closer… I-I'll do it - I swear!"  
  
Before he could blink I had him by the gun hand ten feet in the air. The others suddenly got smart and started running. I grinned at the man I had.  
  
"We really shouldn't keep them out of this, now should we?"  
  
Another burst of speed later, and we were in front of them, the one in my hand passed out from the speeds involved.  
  
_Weakling…_  
  
With the stench of fear and excrement filling my nose I felt the need to end the encounter as soon as possible, and flung him into the other two. They pushed him off of each other and ran towards the other end, past the girl, who was watching with, wide, frightened eyes. Not bothering to play anymore, I grabbed them from behind and crashed them together like cymbals. They collapsed in my hands, and I absently tossed them on top of the other man.  
  
I turned towards the girl, who let out a frightened squeak. I spoke simply.  
  
"If you wish to press charges, I would suggest calling the police. They won't be recovering for another hour. If that."  
  
Then I left, flapping to the top of the alley. As I did so, I felt a sense of fulfillment, as if this were something I was meant to do.  
  
I smiled slightly as I heard a whispered 'thanks'.  
  
I nodded, making my decision. Then I sped up to snatch my backpack down on the ground faster than human eyes could follow before heading back to the school building to drop it off on the roof next to Gohan's.  
  
_No sense in carrying it around all afternoon._  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I paused in my dictation to Janet, my secretary, to take a sip from my coffee and look out the window. I smiled faintly, despite the general idiocy that had been bogging me down today. Then the phone rang and I motioned for Janet to leave as I sat down to take the call. A look at the flashing light on the phone revealed it to be the receptionist, Marcy.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
[I'm sorry to bother you sir, I know you asked not to be disturbed, but he insists on being put through directly to you. If it were anyone else, I would just tell them that but…]  
  
I sighed. It was going to be one of _those_ days, was it?  
  
"And just who is it that overrules the word of Satan City's Mayor, hmmm?"  
  
I could practically see the blush on her face through the phone.  
  
[Hercule Satan!]  
  
I lost some of my overcast look. A call from my friend would do wonders for the way my day had been going so far.  
  
_Assuming he's calling me as a friend and not as the Mayor…_  
  
"Patch him through Marcy. I'll see what he wants."  
  
Hercule and I had met in college. The Champ's degree was largely ceremonial, and he had been more into frat parties than actual studying, but contrary to the popular story that he had been raised only to fight off earth's enemies, he _had_ actually been at the school.  
  
_Even if he was rarely in a classroom…_  
  
[Emit?]  
  
My small smile got a little brighter. It was a code of sorts. My name, Emit, meant a call of a more personal, and therefore infinitely more pleasurable, nature. If he has started 'Mr. Mayor' then he had a bug up his butt about something, and I didn't need that today. But that was a moot point.  
  
"Hercule, what can I do for you?"  
  
[It's not much Emit, I promise. I was just wondering if maybe we could ride in together for that party this weekend. We haven't had a lot of time to just talk like we used to…]  
  
I smiled.  
  
"Certainly, it'll be a much better conversation than I usually get, what with politics this, 'can you do me a favor' that…"  
  
Hercule's loud boisterous laugh came back to me over the phone before he spoke again.  
  
[Fantastic! See you then!]  
  
The phone clicked dead then, and I looked at it for a moment, still slightly amused after all these years at Hercule's impulse driven behavior. I put the phone back on the desk and picked up my coffee mug again, savoring the moment before I would call Janet back in and start from where I left off.  
  
I lay back in the chair and let out a long contented sigh as I looked out the window. When you're Mayor of the busiest city in the world, you look for piece in moments, not days, otherwise you end up burning out or going completely out of your mind. I smiled and took a sip from the mug.  
  
In the next instant, there was a coffee stain on the window, and the mug tumbled forgotten from my hands as I gaped in disbelief.  
  
_Did I just see a… dragon… go past?_  
  
I frowned, all good thoughts of the coming weekend forgotten as I contemplated the possible meanings of this. It was a Brood dragon, of that I had no doubt.  
  
_But I thought they were all dead…_  
  
I deepened my frown in thought as I rose and began to pace. This would simply not do. The Brood were too dangerous to live. If they lived, the planet was doomed, I knew that. Every person in my order knew that. I sat back down and spent a moment composing myself. Then I reached for the phone with every intent to call Marcy and inform her that I would be leaving early today.  
  
_Why now? Why after all these years?_  
  
I closed my eyes and let my hand drop to the table. I had to think through the consequences of this action before making a decision hastily.  
  
I was still skilled in magic, even after twenty years or so since my last actual fight, but I also knew that my position would suddenly be of great importance to the order. To important to allow me to fight, which was a definite plus, but I would still have to train. Dragons were unpredictable, who knew where they'd strike next.  
  
Then another thought hit me like a ton of bricks and I grabbed the phone with a shaky hand.  
  
_Is my family alright?_


End file.
